Symbiosis
by SamN5
Summary: Their friendship is a lifeline. One can not live without the other. Together, they fly. Together, they fight. Together, they laugh. Together, they hurt. And together, they breathe.
1. Thirsty

**A/N: It's been quite a while, I know. I always thought I couldn't write fanfics properly, but it seems I just can't escape the fanfiction world. :)**

 **Besides, I fall in love with HTTYD over and over again, so I had to do something about it. Get ready for a series of drabbles with Hiccup and Toothless' friendship in focus! Their bond is unlike everything I've ever seen!**

 **The first one's rated K. Hope you'll enjoy.**

 **If the translation feels weird, let me know. :)**

 **Oh, and of course I don't own anything, but you knew that. If I did, I wouldn't be here.**

* * *

 _ **Thirsty**_

* * *

Being chief is a lot harder than either of them thought. And with Berk operating under a rebuilding status, it's nothing but constant work and work and work. He's hiding it well, but Toothless knows his rider is getting tired. Everyone does. They are helping him in any way they can, but it's difficult. It's _new_. And all of Berk's people need to get used to this not yet mapped world their lives' next chapter gave.

For Toothless and his rider, it's more grueling. The young and inexperienced chief is working so hard not to let the island down. He's always been selfless, but now? Even more so. All of his time is now dedicated to his people, and sometimes he forgets to take care of his own basic needs.

Toothless feels it. Again. He looks at Hiccup standing at his desk and sketching new blueprints, and suddenly his normally wet tongue is like sandpaper. He knows it's not his thirst but his best friend's. He knows it, because he rinsed his mouth at the water dispenser with Stormfly before returning.

Worry and anger creep into his eyes and make their way through his body as he moves closer to his rider, gently poking his water gourd with his nose. Hiccup is so focused on his work that he doesn't notice. Toothless lets out a frustrated growl, nudging the gourd harder.

"Bud?" Hiccup snaps out of his trance, petting the Night Fury's head gently. "I'm sorry. Are you thirsty?"

Toothless gives another growl. Stupid, stupid Hiccup. He shoves the gourd towards him, and eyes him sternly. Hiccup swallows…or tries to. And that's when he realizes.

"Oh. Oh!" He lets out an awkward little laugh and raises the gourd quickly to his parched lips. "Thanks. Where would I be without you?" And as he drinks it all up, Toothless' tongue feels wet again.


	2. Realization

**A/N: Thank you so much for the positive feedback, guys! It means the world to me!**

 **A lot of people claim that writing fanfiction is easy and/or it's not really "writing", but damn, it's sure as hell difficult! You know, my secret dream is to be an author so I usually work with characters I create, and finding the voice of characters someone else came up with is not a piece of cake at all!**

 **I struggled with this piece. I aimed for something different, but I hope it still turned out okay. :)**

 **This one is from Stoick's POV and is rated K+ for minor injury. And it screamed for short sentences.**

 **One more thing: spoken language and literary language are two different things, so if you spot something weird, let me know! (I don't trust my own English, bear with me.) :)**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **Realization**_

* * *

Stoick the Vast had seen a lot in his life. People in need. True love. Hunger. Madmen. Strong friendship. Dragons. Raids. Bloodshed. And war. Endless war. But never miracles. So when his son mounted the dragon everyone referred to as the 'Unholy Offspring of Lightning and Death Itself', he came to a realization that miracles were indeed real.

And after that he always thought nothing would surprise him anymore. Oh, how wrong he was!

He's noticed something recently. It's nothing big, really, his simple brain should be able to comprehend it, yet here he is… watching… and struggling to understand.

At first he thinks he is just too tired, that his exhausted mind is playing tricks with him, but only a moon later, it happens again.

Come on, Stoick, don't be ridiculous! Dragons are magnificent creatures, yes, but they are no healers! Besides, as your son gets older, his immune system gets stronger, too! There's nothing abnormal about that!

 _No_. The chief shakes his head. He might not be the smartest of his kind, but he's not stupid either. He knows what he witnessed. And he also knows it's everything but normal.

Hiccup received a cut while helping the villagers train their dragons. Fortunately, the cut was not deep, only caused by a mere accident, but still… it shouldn't have disappeared within three days! Dragons can't heal people! Night Furies are special, but they can't either!

And yet… when his son is in the presence of Toothless, his wounds never last. His sadness never lasts. His fear is nonexistent. He's unshakable. Unbreakable. Invincible. Full of heart and confidence. He is mighty and worthy, more than any Viking alive. When he is with Toothless, he is _complete_.

There's something lingering inside the chief's chest. Something aching. It's realization. He could've never achieved this, even if he broke his neck in the process. Because he always wanted his boy to be somebody he had never been. But Toothless? The dragon never ever suppressed Hiccup's being, he lifted it to the sky, above the clouds.

It makes the chief kind of jealous. But also grateful. Demons are not so bad after all.

* * *

 **A/N: I read a study (was it a study? I don't remember) about different energies and energy healing. I admit it was very interesting and I don't really believe in these sort of things! Anyways, it was a great inspiration material, I mean... Toothless' presence is totally a positive energy source for Hiccup! :)**


	3. Missing

**A/N: Okay, here's another one. Exams are breathing down my neck, so I don't know when the next drabble will drop.**

 **I think this one is a bit AU -ish? Sorry about that. I'm trying to stick to canon.**

 **If my English is weird, please let me know. :) And enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **Missing**_

* * *

Toothless has been missing for three days now, and no one knows where to start looking. He simply vanished, not leaving behind anything to help the search parties follow him. The entire village is worried and rightfully so; the Night Fury and his rider never spend days apart. They are not just glued together, they are one soul in two different bodies. If you tear into one, you tear into the other, too.

The village is worried, yes, but Hiccup? Hiccup is frantic. He's flown to the edge of the world and back at least twice by now and is readying himself to give it another shot, but Astrid is there to stop him.

"Hiccup, I'm begging you. You need to calm yourself. Trust me, we all want Toothless found, but look at our dragons! They are exhausted, Hel, we all are! If we want this search to be fruitful, we need to lay down for at least an hour or we won't make it even to the edge of the archipelago!"

"What if we don't have an hour?" Hiccup's breathing is uneven; it's like his oxygen-hungry lungs just can't get enough air in.

"I'm sure Toothless is fine. He's a Night Fury, for Odin's sake!"

Hiccup lets out a choked laugh and shakes his head 'til he's dizzy.

"Y-you keep saying you get it, that you understand Toothless and I are like one being, because we are always by each other's side, but it's a lie. You _don't_ get it, Astrid. You never did, and you never will." His voice is so deep he manages to scare himself too.

He knows something bad is happening to his best friend… he knows it, because there's a strange taste in his mouth, and his nostrils are so full of the smell of ash it takes all his willpower not to choke on every breath. And then there are two different fears inside his body; the dread that the hole drilled in his chest getting bigger with every passing second means the increasing distance between him and his dragon; and the panic that surges through his veins. The second is not his.

"Hiccup, please—" Astrid swallows back the words as Hiccup presses a soft kiss on her cheek.

"I have to go. Toothless needs me now more than ever. He might be a Night Fury, but remember what Gobber taught us: a downed dragon is a dead dragon. He needs his wings, Astrid, and if the others can't bear with me, I set off alone to glue them back on."

Suddenly, the second fear seems to fade a little; it's like his flaming determination is extinguishing it.

* * *

 **A/N: What happened to Toothless? I don't know, it's up to you to decide. I just wanted to explore what would happen (emotionally) if Hiccup and Toothless got separated.**


End file.
